changing sand

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the lion who ate the sun said:
Haha, didn't sleep much last night. Been trying to wrap up an essay on the origins of the novel and its evolution; ie the ways that human thought pattens have shifted and subverted themselves, expanded and regressed. Nonsense is therapeutic after eight hours of writing.

I'm actually using Polypterus in the essay to make a point--despite being so far from axolotls both geographically and on the phylogenetic tree, both polys and axolotls evolved extremely similar external gill structures. Its called convergent evolution. Something similar happened with language in our species. Completely removed from one another, groups of our ancestors began developing speech independently and would later do the same with stories and eventually "novels." Crazy stuff.

That post was supposed to be a metaphor meaning that all things are so closely related that you can't really be off topic. Ie, you can't derail a post because all things relate back to the op.

I donno lol. I'm exhausted and still have a lot more to write.
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language certainly evolved differently over time among different groups, but since we are all one species it probably first developed before there were geographic splits in groups of humans. so go back 200k years and humans would all be speaking the same language. and as groups split different words began to have different meanings and evolve to what we have today.

i would argue this is pretty far removed from physical evolution in totally unrelated species. as far as i know, all newts/salamanders start off with external gills and then lose them as they mature, much like bichirs. that would be a good example of convergent evolution. axolotls are a bad example, or at least not as good because they uniquely do not lose their external gills throughout life.

and none of this has anything to do with the black sand i want to add to my tank.
 
Bwahahaha this guys poor thread lol QUOTE="Nim Dibbley, post: 7285820, member: 76211"]language certainly evolved differently over time among different groups, but since we are all one species it probably first developed before there were geographic splits in groups of humans. so go back 200k years and humans would all be speaking the same language. and as groups split different words began to have different meanings and evolve to what we have today.

i would argue this is pretty far removed from physical evolution in totally unrelated species. as far as i know, all newts/salamanders start off with external gills and then lose them as they mature, much like bichirs. that would be a good example of convergent evolution. axolotls are a bad example, or at least not as good because they uniquely do not lose their external gills throughout life.

and none of this has anything to do with the black sand i want to add to my tank.[/QUOTE]
 
Dude I'm sorry T.T not trying to create any bad blood. I shouldn't have derailed. Lack of sleep/energy drinks and a bit of wine is bad for judgment.

That said, I would wait until you can get more sand. Such a small amount won't make enough of a difference. As someone else said, black and tan sand don't look great together.

In reference to your reply:
It is hypothesized that language is only 10,000 to 60,000 years old. Those who claim it began 60k years ago reference evidence suggesting it began with a handful of unique "click" languages that evolved separately and alongside one another among different populations in Africa, then continued to evolve as they moved along migratory routes.

There are many parallels between physical evolution and the evolution of thought patterns and behavioral patterns. Part of it is neurological, but I was more referencing the way that a similar behavior can emerge in two populations or species without or with limited contact. I think the parallel is interesting. Also, axolotls can and do lose their external gills. They are salamanders. If they are kept in water, they keep their gills; however, if removed from water, their gills recede. They are unique in that their metamorphosis is not obligated.
 
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Pulling substrate out of a tank doesn't really have to be all that tedious. You just need a submersible pond pump, 5-6 feet of 3/4" tubing, and a large, sturdy waterproof trash can. Use the tubing as a siphon to pull out the substrate (3/4" diameter will give you a strong enough siphon to easily pull out coarse gravel, let alone sand), then when you've drained all your water out, use the pump to pump it back in and repeat. I converted a 225 with 4-5" deep gravel to barebottom a couple years ago, and it just took a couple hours.
 
the lion who ate the sun said:
Dude I'm sorry T.T not trying to create any bad blood. I shouldn't have derailed. Lack of sleep/energy drinks and a bit of wine is bad for judgment.

That said, I would wait until you can get more sand. Such a small amount won't make enough of a difference. As someone else said, black and tan sand don't look great together.

In reference to your reply:
It is hypothesized that language is only 10,000 to 60,000 years old. Those who claim it began 60k years ago reference evidence suggesting it began with a handful of unique "click" languages that evolved separately and alongside one another among different populations in Africa, then continued to evolve as they moved along migratory routes.

There are many parallels between physical evolution and the evolution of thought patterns and behavioral patterns. Part of it is neurological, but I was more referencing the way that a similar behavior can emerge in two populations or species without or with limited contact. I think the parallel is interesting. Also, axolotls can and do lose their external gills. They are salamanders. If they are kept in water, they keep their gills; however, if removed from water, their gills recede. They are unique in that their metamorphosis is not obligated.
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There is no substantial proof of any sort to confirm when and where language first developed, but physically, the ability to do so goes back 200k years with the oldest anatomically modern human fossils.

You can't simply take an axolotl out of the water and hope it survives. "The common myth of lowering the water level to force axolotls to metamorphose is invariably fatal because most axolotls simply aren't capable of metamorphosis in this way." http://www.axolotl.org/tiger_salamander.htm

i think i am going to get some more black sand, siphon out what i have over the next couple of weeks and load the new sand via pvc.
 
They do undergo metamorphosis from time to time. Even if they didnt--its still a textbook example of convergent evolution. Not really debatable. Its documented science, not opinion. Sauropods and giraffes are another example, even though some sauropods had up to six times as many vertebrae as a giraffe possesses.

While there is no scholarly concensus on the origin of language, there is an extremely compelling argument for it having begun 60k years ago and a slightly less compelling argument stating it began 10k years ago. These theories are at the forefront of the field. There is no evidence to suggest that humans began speaking as soon as they came to exist. It is overwhelmingly doubtful that this is the case. I've been studying in this field for years.
 
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Honestly though, this convo feels toxic. I would rather just be friends.
 
You're probably right, I breed lotls and keep polys, so it was more to add a personal touch to the essay for flavor and such :D

Did you decide on what to so with the sand?
 
the lion who ate the sun said:
You're probably right, I breed lotls and keep polys, so it was more to add a personal touch to the essay for flavor and such :D

Did you decide on what to so with the sand?
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no. i dont have a lot of free time with my kid and work. it may take another couple of years or another donation for me to actually change the sand :)
 
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